Paella is one of the best known dishes from Spain, although it is really from the Spanish city of Valencia on the Mediterranean coast. The name “paella” simply means “pan” in Valencian, although a paella pan is called a “paellera” … Continue reading Paella Mixta

“Bravo” is a Spanish word that can mean brave (as in courageous), but also wild, rough, or spirited, as in the name of the rough coastline near Barcelona (Costa Brava). And so Patatas Bravas could literally be translated as potatoes with spirit. … Continue reading Patatas Bravas

In Spain we visited the city of Logroño, which is in the Rioja wine region but also famous for its tapas scene. One of my favorite tapas I tried there was smoked sardines (served on toast with roasted bell pepper). It … Continue reading Smoked Sardines (Sardinas Ahumadas)

During our trip to Spain last fall we gorged ourselves on researched many different types of tapas. One very popular kind of tapas that you see everywhere is croquettes with various fillings. They are crispy on the outside and creamy … Continue reading Croquetas de Setas (Mushroom Croquettes)

Pimientos de Padrón are green chilli peppers from Spain that are usually mild, but sometimes one of them can be very hot. They are very tasty, a bit like green bell pepper but better. To prepare them, you only need … Continue reading Pimientos de Padrón

When we visited Spain recently, I tried Merluza a la Romana, which is hake covered with beaten egg and then pan-fried. Unlike its Dutch counterpart lekkerbekje or the British fish and chips, this Spanish version is not deep fried and not crispy. In … Continue reading Hake in the Spanish Way (Merluza a la Romana)

As a good patriot I’m looking for ways to eat more tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers. And so I thought of a wonderful solution: gazpacho. This is a cold soup from Spain that is made from tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, … Continue reading Gazpacho

Seafood deep fried in batter is delicious and has been around for a long time. The famous tempura is in fact something the Japanese picked up from Portuguese explorers. Although deep-fried squid is known in the USA by the Italian “calamari”, to me … Continue reading Deep-Fried Calamari (Calamares Fritos)

Aioli (Catalan) or Alioli (Spanish) is the Spanish version of mayonnaise with garlic instead of mustard. It is served with various tapas. Traditionally it is made with pestle and mortar and a whisk, but a blender does a pretty good … Continue reading Homemade Aioli

Paella is probably the most famous Spanish dish. There are different versions of paella, many of them containing meat such as chicken, rabbit and chorizo, as well as seafood. My version is seafood-only. Paella is traditionally made in a special paella pan, but I like to serve it on individual plates. Like many stock-based dishes, the taste of the paella depends on the quality of the stock. So it definitely pays off to make your own stock! Ingredients For 2 servings as a full meal 2/3 cups rice suitable for paella (risotto rice works fine) 1 1/2 cups shrimp stock … Continue reading Seafood Paella (Paella de Marisco)